Infographics-Visual Communication at its Best

You have probably seen an infographic at some point in your travels on the internet so I thought it would be helpful to spend some time discussing the pros and cons of using infographics to help my readers make their own decision on whether they should be incorporating them into their online marketing campaigns.

This particular infographic is from www.localranker.com and is about how to balance your online and offline marketing to get the most bang for your buck. In general, I like infographics for telling stories and getting a message across. Especially with the rise of Pinterest, the use of infographics is becoming more prevalent. Actually, all marketing is becoming more visual as we are being conditioned to respond to pictures while text appears to be going the way of the dodo…

So, if you are considering adding an infographic to your marketing tool belt, here are some considerations.

There should be statistics included so make sure you have some compelling numbers to share that support your topic or point of view.

You will need some text but also visual elements, usually symbols, shapes or icons that contribute to the message.

Color is really important, make sure your colors work together and compliment each other without being too busy.

Like any other visual medium, your infographic should draw the eye to the central point of the picture and then pull it in the desired direction. A lot of infographics are meant to be read from the top down, like this example. But that doesn’t mean yours has to follow this convention.

This form of communication can give interest to your Facebook page or Pinterest board which is a great way to draw your audience in. But one thing infographics can’t do, is give a really full story so be sure to provide appropriate text in addition to the infographic so the subtleties of your message aren’t lost in translation.

While the visual elements of this infographic are great, color, layout, shapes used, etc., most of the text is hard to read. I might have picked a slightly different font that remains sharp through any travels on the internet. Otherwise, it’s a great example.